Henri Julien
Encyclopedia
Henri Julien, baptised Octave-Henri Julien (14 May 1852–17 September 1908) was a French Canadian
artist
and cartoonist
noted for his work for the Canadian Illustrated News
.
Born in Quebec City
, he moved with his family to Montreal
in 1869, where he apprenticed for an engraving firm. Commissioner George Arthur French of the North-West Mounted Police appreciated the value of good public relations. He knew the Canadian public was interested in the new police force and thought that providing a visual record of the force would help maintain that interest. Since in 1873 photographs could not be reproduced in newspapers, French wrote to the manager of the Canadian Illustrated News inviting them to send an artist-journalist to accompany the expedition. The idea appealed to the newspaper as they would get an exclusive set of articles and pictures to publish. The young artist was immediately sent on his way.
Nevertheless, Julien's western experience gave him a degree of self-assurance he had not previously possessed, and it was not long before he became a leading figure in the field of illustrative art in Canada. The 1870s and 1880s were the heyday of the engraver and lithographer, just before the machine replaced the artist, and Julien's illustrations were sought by magazines around the world. He is buried in Montreal's Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery
. His drawing Le Vieux de '37
, depicting an old man going to fight the Lower Canada Rebellion
, is one of his best known of his works and of the Patriote iconography today.
A print by Henri Julien of the `Royal Military College of Canada
Uniform of Cadets`, which appeared in the `Canadian Illustrated News` is in the Canadian War Museum
in Ottawa, Ontario. Accession Number: 19850291-004.
French Canadian
French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...
artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
and cartoonist
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
noted for his work for the Canadian Illustrated News
Canadian Illustrated News
The Canadian Illustrated News was a weekly Canadian illustrated magazine published in Montreal from 1869 to 1883. It was published by George Desbarats....
.
Born in Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
, he moved with his family to Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
in 1869, where he apprenticed for an engraving firm. Commissioner George Arthur French of the North-West Mounted Police appreciated the value of good public relations. He knew the Canadian public was interested in the new police force and thought that providing a visual record of the force would help maintain that interest. Since in 1873 photographs could not be reproduced in newspapers, French wrote to the manager of the Canadian Illustrated News inviting them to send an artist-journalist to accompany the expedition. The idea appealed to the newspaper as they would get an exclusive set of articles and pictures to publish. The young artist was immediately sent on his way.
Nevertheless, Julien's western experience gave him a degree of self-assurance he had not previously possessed, and it was not long before he became a leading figure in the field of illustrative art in Canada. The 1870s and 1880s were the heyday of the engraver and lithographer, just before the machine replaced the artist, and Julien's illustrations were sought by magazines around the world. He is buried in Montreal's Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery
Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery
Founded in 1854, Cimetière Notre-Dame-des-Neiges is a 343-acre cemetery located in the borough of Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The entrance and the grounds run along a part of chemin Côte-des-Neiges and up the slopes of Mount Royal...
. His drawing Le Vieux de '37
Le Vieux de '37
Le Vieux de '37 is the name under which is known an illustration by Henri Julien created approximately in 1880 to illustrate Le vieux patriote, a poem from Louis Fréchette.It depicts a participant of the Lower Canada Rebellion of 1837 and 1838 which sought to make of Lower Canada Le Vieux de '37...
, depicting an old man going to fight the Lower Canada Rebellion
Lower Canada Rebellion
The Lower Canada Rebellion , commonly referred to as the Patriots' War by Quebeckers, is the name given to the armed conflict between the rebels of Lower Canada and the British colonial power of that province...
, is one of his best known of his works and of the Patriote iconography today.
A print by Henri Julien of the `Royal Military College of Canada
Royal Military College of Canada
The Royal Military College of Canada, RMC, or RMCC , is the military academy of the Canadian Forces, and is a degree-granting university. RMC was established in 1876. RMC is the only federal institution in Canada with degree granting powers...
Uniform of Cadets`, which appeared in the `Canadian Illustrated News` is in the Canadian War Museum
Canadian War Museum
The Canadian War Museum is Canada’s national museum of military history. Located in Ottawa, Ontario, the museum covers all facets of Canada’s military past, from the first recorded instances of death by armed violence in Canadian history several thousand years ago to the country’s most recent...
in Ottawa, Ontario. Accession Number: 19850291-004.